


All you need is Love

by Brookeks



Series: ColdFlashWeek 2017 [2]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Coldflash Week 2017, Day 7: Under The Influence, Dorks in Love, Falling In Love, First Kiss, Fluff, Love Confessions, Love Spell, M/M, Magic Made Them Do It, Mildly Dubious Consent, Slow Burn, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-15
Updated: 2017-04-15
Packaged: 2018-10-18 12:39:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10617111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brookeks/pseuds/Brookeks
Summary: When a new sparkly, shiny, and very lucrative diamond is displayed in Central City museum, Len just simply has to steal it. Only bad he didn’t listen to his sister when she told him the stone had super powers and that he should not touch it if he didn’t want to get hit with a spell of the love goddess Aphrodite.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is gifted to one of the best persons I know. Annika, I wrote this for you, as a thank you for always listening to me rambling about this ship, about new ideas I have for my own fanfics or about other fanfics I started to read. Thank you so much! This one is for you. Happy birthday, stay who you are because you’re amazing, and you deserve only the best in this world. I hope it can brighten your day a little!! ♥

 

Of all the stupid things Len had done, this was probably one of the most stupid ones. Maybe not the most stupid thing _ever_ , but it was on the top ten list.

The heist he had planned was a simple one, just he and his sister this time. He had got wind of a beautiful diamond being transported to Central City this weekend, and upon closer research, it turned out to be the Love Diamond, something Lisa had always wanted to steal. As soon as she had found out, she had literally bullied Len into planning the heist. Not that he really minded, though. It had been some time (four weeks, to be precise) since the last time he got to steal something, and he was pretty much bored by now without the Flash as a distraction.

The heist itself had been fun. The Flash had turned up like he was supposed to, and they had fought a little, played their game. And they had managed to actually get their hands on the diamond, so a win-win for him.

Although the “getting his hands on the diamond” had been a little too literal for his liking. Lisa had told him that this diamond was associated with Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of Love, that it had some sort of special powers, which, naturally, Len hadn’t believed. So he hadn’t given it much thought when he had picked up the gem with his bare hand after he had lost a glove during his fight with Barry.

Now, when he looked at it, he couldn’t help but think how stupid the whole situation was. And embarrassing, that is. And all could have been avoided if he had listened to his baby sister just for this once. But who would have thought that this rose-colored stone was actually a magical artifact with real powers?

 

***

 

“He won.”

“ _Again_?”

Barry had just arrived back in the cortex after trying (failing) to foil Captain Cold’s latest heist. It was his fourth one so far over the past six months, and Barry wasn’t sure if he should be pissed or amused about it that Snart seemed so desperate to annoy the hell out of him.

“Yeah. I don’t even know how that could happen. It had only been him and Lisa today, not even Mick and the cavalry, but … I don’t know. First, we were fighting, and then next thing, he grabbed that damn thing and made a dramatic exit. He outsmarted me, again.” He pushed down his cowl and walked towards the med bay. The left side of his torso was hurting a little, the suit still wet with the now molten ice. He knew by now that Snart wouldn’t purposefully hit him with his cold gun, not now after all this time, especially not when all he wanted was a little distraction and to play. Barry had just happened to be … distracted for a moment and hadn’t quite been able to dodge a blast in time.

“Dude, that’s, like, the third time he gets away. You sure you trying hard enough to stop him?”

“What – Cisco, of course I’m trying hard enough! Why shouldn’t I?”

 “Oh, no reason, just saying.” But the way Cisco was smirking at him, he could imagine what this was about.

“Cisco, I don’t have a crush on him,” he pointed out. Repeatedly. It wasn’t as if he kept insisting on that part each time after a fight with Captain Cold, but Cisco didn’t seem to let go of the matter. But Barry did not have a crush on his nemesis. There were, well, nemeses, so why would someone even consider that?

“You sure?” Caitlin joined the conversation as she walked over to look at a patch of red, irritated skin on his ribs, caused by the cold gun. “You two do keep flirting. Every time, really.”

“No, it’s – look, it’s not _flirting_. It’s … banter? Maybe. But definitely not flirting!”

“Sure, whatever you say, man.”

Barry decided it was wiser not to reply this time, knowing it would probably only make matters worse for him.

The thing was, he did have kind of a soft spot for Leonard Snart. Not that he would ever admit it out loud. But the man was quite handsome, and funny, sort of. And he stuck to his word about not killing any innocents, had stuck to it the whole time so far. And Barry did enjoy their encounters. Times he spent foiling Captain Cold’s heist were always something he was looking forward to: he got to let off some steam, play around a little with nothing all too serious happening. It was, well, like a game most of the times. A game he really started to like playing.

Caitlin finished her examination and told him he was good. The irritation would last a while, but it should be as good as new within the next few hours. After that, no other words about his alleged crush came, and Barry let the matter of the lost diamond drop. He knew Captain Singh would probably be pissed, and in the morning, he’d have a report to write about the crime scene, but at the moment he couldn’t be bothered to worry about it.

He zipped around the room and put on his own clothes again before he walked into the cortex of S.T.A.R. Labs, grabbing one of Cisco’s special nutrient bars and took a bite.

“Okay, guys, I’m gonna head back to work again. Call me if anything comes up, ‘kay?”

His friends waved him goodbye and Barry left in a flash. Mentally, he was already preparing for a quiet evening. It was five o’clock in the afternoon, and after two hours of work, he’d return to S.T.A.R. Labs, grab his suit, and then do his patrols in the city. Later, he would return home and would eat dinner together with Joe, Iris, and Wally. In all, perfectly normal evening.

Little did he know that as of right now, fate wasn’t with him on this one.

 

***

 

“No.”

“Lenny …”

“I said no, Lisa.”

“Lenny, I’m warning you.”

“A no is a no.”

“Leonard Snart, you are coming with me to S.T.A.R. Labs _right now_. And if you don’t come quietly, I’ll make you. Don’t think I wouldn’t do it.”

“They won’t be able to help.”

“The Flash’s the reason you’re in this mess! If you hadn’t lost that damn glove and maybe _if you would have listened to me for once in your life_ – ”

“I’m not going.”

“Lenny …”

Len could feel a headache forming. Well, a worse one than he already had. “Lisa, I don’t think that’d be a good idea.”

“You don’t even have to tell them who the person is. Just that you have a problem and that it’s their fault you’re in this situation and that they simply have to help you.”

“No.”

“Oh, for God’s sake!” She threw her hands in the air. “What’s the matter with you?”

“I won’t go to them because I don’t need their help. I can deal with this on my own, thank you very much. It’ll go away anyway.”

“Lenny, during the whole time we’re here, you have this distant and completely love-struck expression in your eyes and this … _longing_! And you’re quiet! No boasting about the successful heist, not even about defeating the Flash! This ain’t normal for you, big bro. And all that started only after you touched the damn diamond. So either you’re gonna grow some balls and go see this person – whoever it is, really – and make a fucking move on them, or you’re coming with me to S.T.A.R. Labs so we can get you fixed – that is if you really don’t want to have anything to do with them.”

Len sighed. After the heist, they had returned to one of their safe houses, together with the diamond in Len’s pocket. Lisa had immediately realized something was odd about him, and it obviously hadn’t been hard to deduct Len had touched the damn Love Diamond and got hit by its spell. And of course, of fucking course, his “true love” had to be none other than Barry Allen.

“Lisa, you don’t understand. I cannot go to S.T.A.R. Labs. They’ll know. _He_ ’ll know.”

“Wait, do you mean …” she paused, and her eyes widened in realization. Len already regretted this confession.

“You’re true love is the fucking Flash?”

“He’s not my true love.”

“If he’s the one you’re attracted to after you touched this stone, then he is.”

“There’s no such thing as true love. Whatever this stone did, it surely isn’t something like that.” Desire, maybe. Yeah, he could get behind that. Barry Allen was, after all, attractive, especially in that tight leather suit of his. He was tall, but not necessarily skinny. He had a runner’s build, beautiful, elegant. Exactly Len’s type. He wouldn’t mind letting off steam with the Flash some other way than playing cat and mouse every now and then. Although he doubted Barry would ever agree to that.

But as soon as he had touched this god forsaken diamond, something was different, he couldn’t deny that. He just didn’t want to accept it.

“You’ve fallen for the Flash? Only you can have that kind of luck, Snart,” Mick commented as he entered the kitchen and grabbed a beer out of the fridge.

“I’m not–”

“It doesn’t matter anyway, Lenny. We’re going to S.T.A.R. Labs and get you fixed.”

 

***

 

Barry had just finished work and was about to leave the precinct when his phone rang with a message.

 **From Cisco** [18:59]: _SOS, Cold and Glider here at the labs, COME IMMEDIATELY_

When Barry arrived a few seconds later, Cisco and Caitlin were standing next to each other with several feet distance between themselves and Snart and Lisa. Barry rushed forward, quickly changed into his Flash suit and came to a halt between the two parties. As soon as Snart caught sight of him, his mask of indifference changed into a smirk. But it was different somehow. He seemed different. He wasn’t wearing his trademark parka but a black leather jacket, a dark gray sweater, normal jeans and combat boots. But looks aside (and Barry told himself that nope, Leonard Snart did not look incredibly hot like this, no, definitely not), his smirk seemed … quite out of place. Somehow forced while his steely blue eyes somehow seemed softer than usual and shone with – in a lack of a better word – tenderness.

He made a step forward, towards Barry, but Lisa immediately flung her arm out and stopped her brother from moving. Huh. Instead, Snart crossed his arms in front of his chest and fixed Barry with an intense stare.

Barry raised his eyebrows at him. “What do you want, Cold?”

“B–Flash,” he greeted him, and Barry startled at how the older man had almost slipped his real name. This wasn’t usual for Cold’s was collected, eloquent self. Even in the heat of a fight, he always used “Flash” or “Scarlet”, his own personal nickname for Barry. “Fancy you had the time and flashed here.”

Barry rolled his eyes. Okay, this was more like Snart. Although his usual drawl didn’t seem so sharp this time. More … well, tender. Somewhat soft.

“Oh, wow, big surprise. What do you want, Snart?”

“We,” Lisa joined in as she stepped in front of her brother, between him and Team Flash, “need you to do your hero thing and reverse the spell this diamond has put on my brother.”

She was met by baffled silence. Cisco was the first to find his voice again. “You … need our help? With a spell? What spell?”

“The spell on the Love Diamond, honey. You know, the diamond we acquainted this morning? The spell you catch once the diamond makes contact with your skin?”

“And which one would that be?”

Lisa made a show of sighing dramatically before she walked over and sat down on the table with Cisco’s computer, shooting her brother a warning glare before she continued talking. “For those of you who are not educated in the fine arts of jewelry making and precious stones, listen up. The Love Diamond, the one we stole this afternoon–” she smiled smugly, “isn’t just some ordinary diamond. It’s one of the few gemstones that are said to have actually belonged to one of the Greek Gods. This one, obviously, belonged to Aphrodite.”

“But wasn’t Hades the one who owned all the ‘treasures of the soil’ or whatever?” Barry interrupted her.

“Well, yeah, but that doesn’t mean the other Olympians didn’t own one or two, too. In fact, there are several artifacts that are said once belonged to one of them. There’s the spear of Ares, beautiful, made of gold, but not exactly my style. Anyways, things as such. The Love Diamond once belonged to Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. She once enchanted the diamond so that anyone who touches the stone, gets compelled.”

Barry could feel his heart dropping. Spells, magic. This was difficult, and not something they could fix with the help of science. Spells were tricky, and as far as the myths went, Aphrodite had a reputation of being a bitch sometimes. “What does the spell do?”

“It makes the person who touched the stone fall in love with their ‘true and only love’, the one person they destined to be with apparently. Like a soulmate, really. This person can be someone they already know, or someone entirely new. Lore says that Aphrodite created that spell to make sure people actually do find their significant other.”

Instantly, all eyes fell on Snart. His face turned into a hard mask again, cold, as if this wasn’t affecting him. Yet, he kept his eyes fixed on Barry and his gaze was as intense as ever. Barry grew hot under his suit.

Cisco snorted. “So … you’re saying Captain Cold here fell in _love_? Don’t get me wrong, but that’s kinda hard to imagine.” Barry eyed Snart, and he had to agree with Cisco. Even now, his pose unwavering with his arms crossed in front of his chest, completing the villain look with all the black he wore and the cold gun strapped to his thigh, he seemed more annoyed than anything else that this had happened to him. An inconvenience, something that bothered him, but didn’t get to him, not really.

“Yes,” Lisa simply answered. “Believe it or not, but even we are humans and fall for other people sometimes.”

“Okay, yeah, I get that you do, but Cold? I always thought his only love are shiny and expensive things.”

“They are.”

Lisa gave a snort. “Yeah, as if.”

“Okay, and who is this person he fell for?” Barry asked, and cursed himself for the tiny slip of his voice, revealing his own nervousness. He tried to keep his eyes fixed on Snart, to see how he’d react.

However, it was Snart who broke the eye contact in favor for glaring at his sister. “Don’t you even dare.”

“I think it’s easier when they know.”

“No.”

“Lenny …”

“Lisa, I said no.”

“He deserves to know.”

“It doesn’t matter!”

“Who deserves to know?” Cisco chimed in.

“Nobody,” Snart said quickly, at the same time as Lisa answered “him” and jerked her head towards Barry.

And Barry felt as if the blush that crept onto his cheeks was of the darkest crimson it ever had been. “Me?” he breathed, pointing at himself like an idiot.

“Yes, you, you idiot.”

“Hey, don’t insult him.”

All eyes turned to Snart, and he seemed as baffled as his words as the rest of them.

Cisco cleared his throat loudly. “Wait, so Cold fell for Ba–The Flash? For real?”

Snart gave an annoyed sigh and nodded curtly, avoiding any possible eye contact with Barry. Instead, he glared at Cisco as if this was somehow his fault.

“ _Ooooo_ -kay, I believe we really need to fix this.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying, honey,” Lisa chirped.

They all fell silent for a moment, and Barry stopped to think. How could they possibly fix this? It wasn’t as if Aphrodite had given a counter-spell for this, she more likely had thought it was a blessing. Maybe there was something in the lore about it, some way to counteract the diamond’s powers.

And at the same time as a part of Barry’s brain was thinking about ways to get Snart back to normal, he couldn’t help but notice an odd feeling that had settled in his stomach. It felt like a flutter, something so treacherous as hope. Not that anything would ever grow out of this whole situation anyway.

Caitlin spoke up for the first time during the whole conversation. “Well, we obviously have to investigate the diamond first. Maybe science has a solution which would be the best and easiest way possible. If not … well, we have to go and find some old legends, lore, anything. Maybe there’s something that can tell us what to do against this.”

“You want us to give you the diamond?”

“Yes.”

“And what guarantees us you’ll give it back?” Snart asked, drawling, his voice sounding as sarcastic as ever. Well, if that’s what the loves spell looks like, Barry thought, it surely didn’t seem so bad. Snart didn’t actually seem all too different from his usual self. He wasn’t running around and throwing himself at Barry, nor did he keep telling him he loved him or any of that kind. One of the only things he cared about was obviously the loot.

Barry exchanged a look with his teammates. Cisco looked at him questioningly while Caitlin gave a small shrug.

“You know I could just steal it back again, right?”

Barry nodded. “Yeah, we know.” He threw a last glance at his friends. They nodded briefly, and Barry exhaled loudly before he spoke up again. “Okay,” he said, “you’ll get the diamond back afterward. You won fair and square today, so, yeah. But, we want something in return later. For our help.”

Snart’s posture got even stiffer if that was possible, and he seemed tenser than before. Still, he nodded. “What do you want?”

Barry exhaled audibly. “If we ever need your help again, no matter with what, be it a meta or other criminals out there, you’ll help us. No buts, no betraying, nothing of the sorts.” He knew he was perhaps asking too much, but he had been thinking about fighting alongside Captain Cold and his Rogues a lot lately. Together, they’d be an amazing team, taking down criminals and metas. Barry hadn’t dared to hope, though, that his wish would ever become true, knowing Snart likely wouldn’t want to damage his reputation or do whatever, or helping at all if there wasn’t something in it for him, no matter how much good he knew was in Snart. “Deal?”

“Make it a one time thing, and you have your deal.”

“But if you’re getting a taste of it and decide that maybe this hero thing isn’t so bad after all, you’ll help more often.”

The Snart siblings exchanged a look before they nodded in unison and Lisa took out a small velvet sachet, stepping forward and handing it to Barry.

“Do whatever you need to. Just bring it back in one piece. And find out how to fix my brother.”

Barry nodded. “We will.” Carefully, he took the sachet from her hands. He was wearing his Flash gloves, but he couldn’t help but shiver when he held the diamond in his hand. Carefully, Barry walked over to Caitlin’s lab and placed the diamond on the table.

“Our work is done here. Let’s get out of here, Lise.”

“Wait, I’ll show you out.”

Snart looked half as if he wanted to jump at Barry for this suggestion with such heat in his eyes Barry had to blush again, but partly, his expression closed off again, a hard mask not allowing any emotions to show. Eventually, he nodded curtly and cocked his head towards the rest of team Flash. “Bye, Cisco, Doctor Snow.”

“Be seeing you, Cisco,” Lisa said with batting eyelashes and threw him a kiss.

“Bye,” Cisco answered breathless, his expression a mix between love-struck and earnest. Barry snickered and followed Snart and Lisa out of the cortex.

They hadn’t gone very far before Snart suddenly stopped. “Lisa, go ahead already, will you? I’ll follow in a minute.”

Lisa threw him a look with something in her expression that told Barry she knew exactly why her brother stayed behind. But she didn’t say anything, just nodded shortly, and then continued down the hallway.

Barry followed her with his eyes, and as soon as Lisa was out of sight, he pulled his cowl back and turned to Snart. The other man stood with half his back towards Barry, not meeting his eyes this time but instead he fixed the wall over Barry’s shoulder with his intense stare, his arms still crossed in front of his chest with his hands grabbing his upper arms so tightly his knuckles went white.

“I’m sorry if this bothers you,” Snart finally said, his voice sounding husky. “The knowledge of some old crook like me being _in love_ ,” he spat those words out, “with you. It’ll be over the sooner you find a cure.”

“A … cure?”

“Sure. This surely must feel like a curse to you, doesn’t it? Isn’t love a curse, anyway?”

Something inside of Barry clenched at those words, and his stomach dropped. Of course. It was the same problem again, Barry being Barry, never good enough, never the first choice. And even Snart couldn’t love him when he was put under a freaking love spell. Another crush that wasn’t, and never would be returned. But of course, he had known that already. But he had, somehow, hoped anyway.

But Barry refused to feel sorry for himself. This wasn’t about him, this was about Snart having a problem. Nothing to do with him, no reason to get all self-indulgent once again. And maybe Snart wasn’t into guys at all, and that was why he was being so prickly. Although Barry had always thought Cold maybe wasn’t the straightest criminal out there.

“Yeah, no, don’t worry about it. It’s fine, really. It’s not as if you actively chose to fall for me, so, I can’t really blame you for that, hence there’s nothing reasoned for me to complain about. We’ll hurry, I can imagine you want this … whatever it is you’re feeling, gone as soon as possible.”

Snart nodded tensely.

They were both silent for a moment, both not quite daring to look at each other.

When Snart spoke again, his voice sounded raw and honest, and the tenderness from earlier was there again. “What I feel is …  difficult to explain. Not sure I even want to.”

“You don’t have to explain yourself, Snart. I get it.”

Snart shook his head. “No, Barry, you don’t. You probably think that I love you deeply, and that it is the only thing I feel? That I am unable to realize I’m under a spell?”

Barry nodded because, well, that was exactly what he thought and what he expected to come out of a love spell.

Snart sighed quietly and turned his head, finally looking Barry in the eyes. “I know I’m put under a spell, Barry, I know that what I feel isn’t directly coming from me. Yet, at the same time, those feelings come from my very core, from me. And with every moment passing, it gets harder to separate the emotions the spell makes me feel and what I really do feel.” He paused, his eyes wandering over Barry’s face. Before he spoke again, he lowered his gaze, glaring at the wall instead. “And yet, the … love … I feel for you, seems to be right, the only thing making sense. It feels as if it had always to be that way. This is what it is supposed to be, that this is _right_. Not as if I got by Cupid’s arrow or as if I’m on cloud nine. But this isn’t right.”

“Yeah, I get it. Falling for me, having these feelings for me, is gross, and weird, and all kinds of wrong. I get it, really. I mean, we’re nemeses, after all. And the feelings you have because of the spell go against your very own being. You probably hate me, so … loving me must feel wrong.”

“No, Barry, that’s not what I meant.” Snart sighed and dragged a hand over his short buzz cut. “I’m just saying it shouldn’t be this way. It’s not natural. And I do not hate you. I could never.”

“No, really, it’s okay.”

Snart didn’t answer. They stood for another moment, there in the hallway, their eyes finally meeting. And Barry felt this familiar heat rising to his cheeks when he saw the fire (duh) in Snart’s stare. And suddenly, he wanted nothing more than to just rush forward and slam the other man against the wall, holding his face in his hands, pressing their mouths together and just fucking kiss him. And he knew, he just knew from the intensity of Snart’s stare, from the heat and the want in his eyes, that he wanted to exactly that, too.

But neither of them followed this impulse. They remained silent, just standing there in the hallway, looking at each other.

After a while, the older man gave a short nod, turned around and followed his sister down the hallway and out of S.T.A.R. Labs while Barry followed him with his eyes all the way until he disappeared behind a turn.

 

***

 

After a week, they weren’t any farther than they had been before. The diamond itself hadn’t helped them at all. There was nothing out of the ordinary with it, no radiation coming off it, no weird ultra-violets, any kind of heat or cold, or anything at all. It was, in fact, almost identical to any other diamond on planet earth.

To find any lore was hard. Apparently, the Love Diamond had been lost for a few centuries, and when they found any historical evidence about it, it never gave information on how to break the curse. It had only ever been a present from a king to his queen as a sign of his deep love for her, or any other of that kind.

Snart and Lisa hadn’t found anything so far either, as far as Cisco had reported. He and Lisa now texted daily, and Barry and Caitlin both agreed that Cisco was enjoying the little allegiance with Cold and Glider a little too much for his own good. But they didn’t intervene since especially Barry wasn’t any better when it came to the never-have-a-crush-on-one-of-your-villains-rule.

He hadn’t heard anything from Snart the entire week, and he felt confirmed in his suspicion that the other really didn’t like him other than a distraction from his boredom from time to time. He told himself it didn’t matter to him.

But the more surprised he was when he got a text from Snart eight days after he and his sister came for help.

 **From Unknown Number** [16:45]: Y _ou free after work? – CC_

How Snart had gotten his number was beyond Barry. But maybe he had been very thorough with his stalking when he had first found out Barry’s identity. He entered Snart’s number into his cell phone and replied.

 **To Snowflake** [16:47]: _You sure that’s a good idea?_  
**From Snowflake** [16:49]: _Why shouldn’t it be?_  
**To Snowflake** [16:53]: _That’s surely something you’ll regret after the curse is broken._  
**From Snowflake** [16:54]: _One negative thing about the spell is that I feel like going insane the longer I don’t see you. And I like my mind and I’d like to preserve it as longs as I can, especially since I need it to plan future heists for all the precious things out there._

Barry thought about that for a moment. Snart needed him around? Wanted him around? He couldn’t help it, but his stomach fluttered at the message. He knew he was looking like an idiot the way he was grinning down at his phone, but hell. He couldn’t help it.

 **To Snowflake** [16:55]: _I’m off at seven._  
**From Snowflake** [16:55]: _Great. I’ll pick you up one block off your precinct._  
**To Snowflake** [16:57]: _And then we’re going to do what exactly?_  
**From Snowflake** [16:59]: _…. You’ll see._

Barry groaned. He could literally picture Snart smirking while writing this last message.

It was five o’clock now, which meant he had still two more hours of work kill. And he probably shouldn’t be looking forward to this evening as much as he did.

When seven o’clock finally arrived, he tried to be as on time as possible, meaning that naturally, he left the precinct fifteen minutes late. He nearly jogged down the block, not entirely sure where Snart would wait. But his worries were unfounded, he spotted the man right away. He was wearing his leather jacket again, this time with a white and blue-striped sweater and gray jeans that were so tight Barry had to mentally force himself to stop staring.

“Scarlet,” Snart greeted him when Barry came to a halt in front of him, “you’re seventeen minutes late.”

“Sorry. I got, um, a little held up.”

“And there I thought you, as the fastest man alive, would always be on time.”

Barry groaned. “Being late is somewhat a chronical disease with me, super-speed or not.”

Snart chuckled, then took Barry by his arm and started walking towards the city center.

“Where are we going, anyway?”

“I was thinking dinner. Maybe a movie, if you’re up for that?”

“So this is a date then, huh?” Barry grinned.

Snart hesitated. “No, it’s not. Just hanging out. I don’t think a date would be appropriate under the circumstances.”

Oh. Yes, of course. He was right. Barry was getting ahead of himself again. “Sure,” he answered, and he tried not to sound irritated. Just feeding the spell and help Snart, he told himself. Nothing to do with his crush, nope.

They fell into a comfortable step, not really walking fast, but not quite slow either.

“So, how are you feeling?”

“Really, Barry?” Snart snorted. “Peachy, thanks.”

“No, I mean really. How do you feel? I mean, isn’t this weird? Somehow? And, I don’t know, how are feeling just in general?”

Snart let out an exaggerated sigh. “Like I said, every minute I’m not around you, it feels as if my heart is physically aching. It’s nerve-wracking and annoying. As of right now … well, my fantasy is supplying me with lovely imagines how you look out of those ridiculous skinny jeans, which I don’t think is helping my mood either since I can’t just snatch you away and have my wicked way with you. Surely you wouldn’t agree to do _that_.”

Barry’s cheeks felt hot, and he cursed himself for immediately imagining this scenario. “’m sorry. I promise we’re doing everything we can to find a–a cure.”

“I know, Scarlet. But that’s not what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean?”

Snart sighed again and stopped. “Come on, let’s get inside. I figured you must be starving.” He jerked his head towards a small diner right next to them and lead the way inside.

 

***

 

Len could tell by the way Barry’s eyes shone alternating with excitement and suppressed longing and goddamn _hurt_ , he was saying all the wrong things. The truth was, he had only told him the euphemized truth of what he was feeling any why he had wanted this meeting with Barry so badly. In reality, he couldn’t sleep without dreaming of him, more than once waking up with an aching hard on. His chest felt as if his heart was on fire, and he wanted so badly to touch Barry, to hold him, to be around him. He didn’t even want to have sex with him, not really. (Although he couldn’t deny how amazing that would be.) He wanted to tell Barry he was loved, that _he_ loved him. That he was so good, so pure, the light at the end of the tunnel. That he was everything, and that Len wanted to spend every single minute the rest of his life with this man.

And he hated himself for that. His father hadn’t “taught” him for nothing that love and emotions were always, always a weakness, and a Snart was never weak. But damn, Barry made Len feel so vulnerable, and while he hated it with the recesses of his heart, he couldn’t imagine any other person he’d allow to see him so vulnerable. There was no other person he could be so vulnerable and weak with except Barry Allen.

Right now, the urge to just reach out and interlace his finger’s with Barry’s was so strong he had to firmly hold his milkshake with both hands to resist the impulse. The same it had been last week when Lisa and he had been at S.T.A.R. Labs. Barry had been standing right there, and Len had just wanted to take him, take him home, and love him. But he hadn’t, and even as he thought back, he was even a little proud of his self-control back then.

“So … any heists planned for the future, Snart?” Barry asked him jokingly and pulled Len out of his thoughts.

“You think you can con any information out of me? Just because I have the hots for you doesn’t mean I’ll spill my secrets, Scarlet.”

Barry huffed, “worth a try.”

Len laughed. “Tell me about your day instead.”

Barry looked at him in surprise but started anyway. Soon, he fell into a lengthy description of all the data processing and analyzing he had to do this week, all about this small string of robberies (electronic stores, nothing fancy) while he gestured wildly and with his eyes gleaming with excitement. At some point, Len didn’t understand a single thing anymore what Barry was saying, too specific and he hadn’t the necessary knowledge concerning forensics. But he listened anyway as Barry kept telling him about his week, about all the work he did for the CCPD and as the Flash, with so much passion and detail as if he wasn’t realizing he was talking to one of his enemies and not to his not-quite-sister Iris West. But maybe he didn’t care. And he smiled like an idiot, grinning actually, and Len couldn’t help but smile back at this gorgeous man.

This gorgeous man he didn’t deserve the least but wanted anyway, so much he wasn’t sure anymore if this was the Love Diamond speaking or himself.

“It wasn’t, like, the worst week ever. Just busy. Although I could have done very well without Mirror Master’s little heist on Monday, thank you very much.”

Len laughed. “I had nothing to do with that.” He hadn’t, really. He could see, though, that Barry didn’t believe him, his eyebrows risen with this half amused, half accusing look in his eyes. Len considered things for a moment before he elaborated, “not all of what my Rogues do is on my orders. They’re their own persons. Although Scudder had indeed mentioned something a few weeks ago. But as long as they follow the rules, there’s no reason for me to intervene.”

“Yeah, okay, Snart, I believe you.”

“Len.”

“Huh?”

“Call me Len. I’m sick of hearing that shit name I inherited from this bastard of a father.”

“Okay … Len.” Barry smiled at him gingerly, and Len’s stomach gave a jolt. This man, really. He couldn’t get enough of him already. Only bad he had to let him go at some point because even though he could call the Love Diamond as an authority, he didn’t own Barry. He just really wanted to steal him away and never let him go.

They had finished all their food (with Barry’s portion three times as large as Len’s) but none of them seemed to want to get up and end this – whatever this was.

 

***

 

It didn’t stay with going out for one single dinner.

After three weeks, they still had nearly nothing on how to counter the spell the Love Diamond had put on Len, and Barry could tell the older man was growing more antsy with every day passing without any results.

A few days after they had met outside the CCPD and went out for dinner, Len had texted Barry again, asking him to come to his apartment and watch a movie with him. At first, he hadn’t known what to think of it, hadn’t been sure if he should be going.

“Dude, no. Don’t go,” Cisco had said, seemingly shocked Barry was even considering this.

Caitlin had gotten up from her desk in her lab and stared at Cisco and Barry with a challenging look in her eyes. “Why not? It’s not as if Snart is going to kill him or anything. He is, after all, in love with Barry.”

Barry had groaned. “God, Caitlin, please don’t put it like that, you make it sound as if he just asked me for a date. And it’s not a date.”

“Would it be so bad if it was a date?”

Cisco and Barry had both looked at her as if she had suddenly grown a second head.

“Um, yeah,” Cisco had answered when Barry had been silent for a little too long, “it’s still Captain Cold we’re talking about? Besides, I doubt Barry would want a date with him, even under normal circumstances. I’m totally joking when I say Barry has a crush on him.”

Barry hadn’t answered that one, but he _had_ ended up going which had earned him a googling look from Cisco and a small smirk from Caitlin.

It had been nice, though. Len lived on the outer edge of Central City, near Keystone, in a large apartment which, as he had told Barry, he had rebuilt out of two apartments, one superimposed on the other. It provided a magnificent view over the city. They had watched first _Pulp Fiction_ and then the _Silence of the Lambs_ together while eating Thai takeout. It had been nice, and it had left Barry with this warm fuzzy feeling inside of him which he had been pointedly ignoring since.

After that, they had met two times again, each time watching another movie, eating takeout, talking, bantering. It was nice. At one point, Len had put his arm around Barry, and when Barry had looked at him questioningly, Len had just shrugged and said, “physical contact helps.” So Barry had just gone with it, not that he really minded it, anyway.

He knew already he was going to miss this, those evenings, when all this was over and Len would have turned back into Captain Cold. Gone would be the guy he had gotten to know at least a little over those few times hanging out, the guy he had somehow gotten closer to.

Today was Friday. Barry had gotten a text from Len during the day, asking if he wanted to come again that night. Naturally, Barry had been giddy the entire day since, excited for the evening and also nervous for its outcome. In the end, he even left work early to rush home, take a quick shower and look for something nice to wear. Not that Len would care, anyway, not while he was put under the spell. And it still wasn’t a real date, not really. The only reason Len had invited him into his home in the first place was because the spell wanted him to be near Barry, with emphasis on the spell. Not Len himself wanted this.

“Oh, Barry, you going somewhere?”

Barry let out a very embarrassing shriek and whipped around in lightning speed. “Iris!” he called out as he saw her leaning against the doorframe, grinning up at him. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, just stopping by. I wanted to see if Dad was already home before I head out with Linda tonight. Instead, I found you singing in your room, apparently getting dressed up for something important.”

“I – wasn’t singing. Maybe humming.”

“I could hear the lyrics of _Can’t Help Falling In Love_ loud and clear, don’t even try to kid me. Tell me, Barry,” he asked and her playful smile was replaced by a knowing and mischievous smirk, “who is it?”

“Who is what?” He laughed nervously and fumbled to pull the sweater in his hands over his head.

Iris stepped a little closer, her expression not wavering. “The person you have a date with tonight.”

“I – it’s not a date.”

“Oh, so you admit that there’s someone in your life you’re not telling me about?”

Barry groaned. “Yeah. No. Maybe. Most likely not. Let’s just say … it’s too early to say anything. Ask me again in a few weeks, maybe then I can give you a real answer then.”

“Okay,” Iris simply said. “But you wear your shirt backward. And please put on the navy sweater instead, with those black jeans.” She stepped over to his wardrobe and quickly pulled out the two things she had mentioned. Barry knew immediately Len would love her choice in clothing.

“Thanks, Iris. Not that it will matter what I wear, but anyway. Thank you.”

“Anytime, Barr.” She winked and threw him a last smirk before she turned around and left Barry’s room.

He let out a deflated sigh and walked over to his laptop. If anything, this brief conversation with Iris hadn’t done anything to calm his nerves, only made things worse. He put on some Beatles music before he finished getting ready.

He even managed to be there at the settled time, only two minutes late which was practically on time for him. As soon as he had risen his hand to knock, the door was opened and Len stood in front of him. He was barefoot, wearing jeans and a black tee that revealed a set of the most breathtaking tattoos Barry had ever seen. He stared at his arms, dumbfounded. They ranked both his arms, covered nearly all the skin there and vanished up the hem of Len’s sleeves, leaving Barry wondering if there were more on Len’s chest and back. Probably.

Len laughed as he caught Barry staring. “Like what you see, Scarlet?”

“Shut up,” Barry said as he felt the familiar blush rising to his cheeks.

Len just laughed again, and Barry couldn’t help but notice how nice it was. Len’s laugh – his real laugh, not any of this sardonic stuff he let out when he went all Captain Cold – was soft, warm, and made Barry’s insides jolt at the sound.

“I hope you’re hungry. I made dinner, spaghetti with meatballs after a special recipe from Mick.”

Barry stepped inside the apartment, kicked off his boots and followed Len into the kitchen. “Mick cooks?”

“And he’s surprisingly good at it. ‘Course, most of his cooking involves the food being on fire at some point, but he can also cook without lighting something up. When Lisa was still little, after I ran away with her for a while and we laid low at Mick’s, he nearly cooked this for her every day. She loved it.”

“Wow. Guess I’m impressed.”

Len chuckled as he picked up the wooden spoon and stirred the sauce before he moved onto the pasta. “Dinner’s ready in about three minutes.  You can already pick the movie if you want.”

“Sure thing.” He walked over and took the plates and cutlery out of the cupboards (and it should scare them that he knew his way around so well in Len’s apartment) and brought them over to the living room where he placed them on the coffee table. He picked up the remote controller and clicked on Netflix – today it was his turn with choosing the movie they’d watch. He hadn’t actually intended on choosing a romance movie, but as soon as he saw _Begin Again_ was on Netflix, he simply had to press play.

Len followed him into the living room a minute later, carrying two steaming bowls filled with spaghetti and meatballs, smelling delicious.

While they ate their dinner – which tasted incredible, what Barry kept telling Len over and over – they sat on the couch next to each other in comfortable silence. After they had finished, Len put his arm around Barry again, pulling him closer. He sighed into the touch, and Barry wanted to do the same, but he refrained. There was no use in longing for more touches like this from Len.

At some point, Len’s hand wandered from Barry’s shoulder towards his hair where he kept running his fingers through it, causing Barry to immediately get goosebumps. He tried hard to concentrate on the film, and not on the all too pleasant feeling which wanted him to moan loudly. The thing was, ever since the lightning, every part of his skin on his body had grown more sensitive to any kind of touch. And getting fondled with his hair has always been soothing and pleasant to him.

It was during the Headphone Splitter Scene when Barry finally gave up and looked over at Len … only to see the other was already staring at him. The heat in his eyes was back, shining with longing and want, fixing Barry with this intense stare.

Suddenly Barry realized how close they actually were sitting, their bodies touching from shoulder to knee, Len’s hand still in his hair. And suddenly, Barry felt as if all his nerve ends were electrified, his mind only focused on the touch. He couldn’t take his eyes off Len, couldn’t force himself to move away, to bring some distance between them, because he knew, initially, low in his gut, how this would play out.

And the problem was, he didn’t want to pull away. He didn’t want to move, didn’t want to stop their bodies from touching, didn’t want to suppress anymore the heat and want that rose steadily in his belly.

Slowly, Len rose his right arm, his hand extended until he cupped Barry’s cheek softly. And the feeling of his touch was so pleasant, slightly cool but just right the temperature against Barry’s hotter skin. With his thumb, he caressed Barry’s cheek, leaning closer, agonizingly slow, inch by inch, allowing Barry to pull away if he wanted to.

But he didn’t. He looked into Len’s eyes and he felt as if he was losing himself in this clear shade of blue. Had they always been so soft? The ice so molten, only for Barry?

Barry mimicked Len’s motion and leaned forward, ever so slightly, until their lips met in the middle. And the feeling was like a firework exploding in a chilly night, completing, fulfilling, mind-blowing.

Intense, sensational, and nerve-wracking.

Len’s lips were so soft but so hot at the same time. Barry would never be able to get enough of this. If he had to compare this kiss to the others he had with former lovers and partners, he’d easily say that this one, this kiss with Leonard Snart, was the best one he ever had. It wasn’t even that fancy or special, just the tentative but still firm press of lips, but it left Barry feeling as if everything set into place. Time stopped, and the earth stood still. The only thing that mattered were the two of them, right now in this room.

But way to soon, reality crashed in.

He was kissing Len. Leonard Snart, Captain Cold. Who was currently under the influence of a love spell that caused him to want Barry that way.

But Len didn’t. He would never have kissed Barry without the spell, wouldn’t even consider him as something else than an enemy. And Barry shouldn’t exploit his willingness now, just because he had a crush on Captain Cold. It wasn’t right, far from it. Len wasn’t himself right now, couldn’t consent the kiss.

Suddenly, Barry felt grossed out by himself. He pulled back and scrambled towards the far end of the couch, making sure he and Len didn’t touch.

“Barry?” Len asked tentatively. His hand was still risen, held in mid-air where Barry’s face had been moments ago. His expression betrayed confusion and hurt, and Barry hated himself.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Kissing me?” Len sighed, a small smile tucking at his lips. “Scarlet, you didn’t do anything wrong. I initiated the kiss, remember?”

Barry shook his head. “No, I mean … You’re not in your right mind. You’re under a spell, and the normal you … you would hate it if I kissed you. You probably don’t even _like_ me normally. And just because … well, I just shouldn’t exploit that, the spell. It’s wrong. I shouldn’t have kissed you back.”

Finally, Len lowered his hand and folded them in his lap. “You don’t want me back,” he said, with a finality in his voice, so calm and collected, that made Barry’s chest ache.

“No, that’s not it.” He lowered his head, couldn’t stand the piercing glare anymore. “But that doesn’t matter, anyway. The thing that matters is that I can’t do that to you, no matter how much I’d want it.”

“So you do want me back.”

Barry instantly blushed. “Yes. No.” He groaned. “You’re … handsome, and funny, and ... It doesn’t matter anyway. The diamond is making you feel this way, so as soon as we get you back to normal, none of this will be relevant. Despite what I might be feeling. It doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter. Barry, do you really think I wouldn’t still want you as soon as I’m back to normal again?”

Barry shrugged. “I don’t know. Besides, how should I? You could say so now, but what guarantees me you’re not just saying that to steal another kiss and soothe my conscience? I’m sorry, Len, but I can’t – I won’t use you like this, not when you’re not yourself.”

Len sighed, shoulders deflating. “I understand. But, Barry, although I get that you can’t believe me now, I will feel the same. The diamond only enhanced what was already there. And I do love you. And I will still love you when the spell is broken.”

Despite Barry knew this was just the spell talking, he couldn’t help but feel hopeful, a warmth and excitement and … something much more profound spreading in his chest. He nodded, lost for words. There was nothing he could think of saying, nothing appropriate in the situation.

“Just come here again. I wasn’t trying to get into your pants when I said that touching helps.” Len lifted his arms, holding them open to invite Barry in. He debated with himself for a moment if this was really a wise thing to do, or if wouldn’t be better to just leave now. But the hopeless romantic part of him, that part that longed for Len’s touch, may it be their lips touching or just Len’s arms around him, convinced him to stay. The latter was much more harmless, and a thing some friends would do. Besides, they had been snuggling a little already before, right?

Barry sighed. “Alright.” He moved forward again, to the middle of the couch, and with a small smile, Len sat next to him, putting his arm around his shoulders and fondling with his hair again.

They continued watching the movie, and with every passing minute, Barry relaxed into the touch. But he couldn’t concentrate on the film any longer, not now when he could still feel the ghost of Len’s lips on his own, not when he knew what he could have had – if the circumstances were different, if Len would really want him, and if it wasn’t just the love spell speaking.

 

***

 

Not even a week later, Team Flash could finally find a cure against the spell.

“I called Len, he is on his way from – God knows what he’s doing in his free time.”

“Len?” Cisco asked curiously, spinning around in his chair. “When did Cold become ‘Len’?” He smirked at Barry.

“Um, he asked me to call him that. It does sound better than ‘Snart’, though, you gotta admit that.” Both Cisco and Caitlin just shrugged.

Not even a minute later, Len and Lisa entered the cortex. Instantly, Barry’s eyes fell on Len and their gazes locked. He just wanted to go over to the guy, snuggle against him and sneak a kiss. The urge was so strong Barry was surprised by himself. Instead, he stayed where he was, standing next to Caitlin, a several good meters’ distance between him and Len.

After their kiss, they had met again two times. Once, they went out for dinner, at, apparently, Len’s favorite restaurant. The second time they had actually gone to a cinema and had watched one of the bigger blockbusters that were now out in the cinemas. Nothing more happened, despite a little cuddling and, after they had ordered a large can of popcorn during the movie, the cliché oops-our-fingers-accidentally-touched-well-now-we-have-to-hold-hands-thing happened.

“Okay, so, the cure,” Cisco immediately started. He tapped on his keyboard and opened up several websites which he projected onto the big screen, available for everyone to see. “It’s actually pretty simple, and seriously, we’ve been so stupid for not seeing this coming. Anyway. The cure involves another stone, equal to the Love Diamond. Despite it’s not bright and shiny and rose-colored, but pitch black instead. It’s called the ‘Obsidian Void’ which I think is crap because it’s not even an obsidian, but a black opal. Though the name does definitely beat ‘Love Diamond’–”

“The point, Cisco,” Len interrupted him.

“Right. Sorry. So this gem, the Obsidian Void, is actually a gem that is said it once belonged to Eris, the Greek goddess of strife, discord, contention, and rivalry. There’s this legend that says once she fell in love with a mortal man. This man, however, had actually fallen for Aphrodite before, after he saw her lying in the sun on a beach. Apparently, he and Aphrodite became a couple. At some point, the man had gotten Aphrodite a diamond as a present and a representation of his undying love for her, which – surprise – is the one known as the Love Diamond. Anyway, as soon as Eris found out, she got mad – and killed the man. Aphrodite was devastated and thus enchanted the diamond this man had given her, as a way to always make sure she – and everyone who touched the stone – would always find their way back to their true love, in this live or in a future life after reincarnation.

“Eris cursed Aphrodite that she never would find true love again, but Aphrodite transferred the curse onto another gemstone – a black opal. The Love Diamond and the Obsidian Void represent a unit – the diamond brings the bearer true love and happiness, the opal reverses the spell. At its best. There are also myths that say once you touch this stone ‘without being touched by love first’ it drives you into an emptiness, only filled with darkness and jealousy, hatred and misery. Hence, the ‘Void’ in the gem’s name.”

Lisa huffed. “Well, that’s sounds jolly. Any ideas where we can find this stone?”

“It’s in–”

“Central City Museum,” Len interrupted him. “Of course. Lise, we’ve actually seen that stone. It was in the vitrine right next to the Love Diamond. Only it’s several inches smaller and looks like someone just picked up an ordinary stone and painted it black.”

Barry sighed. He could feel a headache forming. “So, all Len’s gotta do is touch this opal?”

Cisco threw him a funny look but replied. “Yes.”

“And how are we supposed to get the stone?” Barry looked over at Len again, who smirked at him as if the answer was obvious. “I mean legally get the stone.”

“You’re no fun, Scarlet.”

Caitlin cleared her throat quietly. “Actually, I think that would even be the easiest way.” Both Barry and Cisco goggled at her as if she had suddenly grown a second head – again. “I mean, come on. Cold is good at his job. He could get the stone in no time, without tripping any alarms or anything.”

“And I should just look the other way, or what?”

“You could always help, Scarlet,” Len said with a smug smile. “With your abilities … the possibilities are endless. The things we could steal together–”

“Len, no. I’m not helping you steal something.”

Len shrugged. “Shame.”

“So, we all agree? Cold and Lisa steal the opal, Cold can touch it later and everything is okay again?”

Barry sighed. He did not like this plan, but it surely seemed like the best option. The easiest, at least. He could still get the gem himself, but he didn’t want to fuel Len’s fantasies of him becoming a thief – not when he was certain he would exploit it as soon as he was back to normal and didn’t have any feelings for Barry.

Suddenly, his chest stung as if several knives were twisting into his lungs. Realization hit him, and for the first time, he felt aware of what was going to happen. Len would touch the stone, and all would be over. There wouldn’t be any more evenings of them hanging out, eating takeout, watching movies, cuddling casually. No more making jokes and playful banter, stolen glances, and hopeful longing. Well, the longing would still be there. Only there would be no hope, no hope that something might ever come out of this, really come out of it.

And in that moment, Barry realized he didn’t want this to end. His heart ached as if it had been physically stepped with a rusty knife.

As soon as Len would touch the Obsidian Void, all would be over. They’d be back to square one, Len hating Barry, and Barry left back with his heart yearning for the other.

He hadn’t realized he’d fallen for Captain Cold – not until now, not as soon as he realized – really realized – that he didn’t want this to end.

“Flash? That okay?”

“Huh?” He looked at Len, who eyed him with so many emotions in his expression, looking so tender, his eyes so soft.

“Is it okay with you that we steal the stone, and you, as an exception, pretend you don’t notice and don’t come after us?”

Barry looked around at the others who all eyed him expectantly. And he knew he couldn’t say no. So he agreed.

“Thank you for your cooperation,” Lisa chirped, “but we have to get going, then, if we want to plan a heist and set it into place tonight.” She grabbed Len’s arm and tried to drag him towards the entrance.

Len tore his eyes away from Barry in order to glare at his sister. “Go ahead already, Lise, I’ll follow in a minute.”

She just raised her eyebrows at him, but let go of his arm. “Fine, whatever you say, big brother.” She turned to Cisco and blew him a kiss and flashed Caitlin a honey-sweet-smile before she left the cortex.

Len jerked his head towards the hallway. Barry threw a last glance behind him, only seeing that Cisco was already typing away at his computer again, and Caitlin had vanished in her lab before he followed Len out.

“Barry,” Len said as soon as they were out of earshot. He raised his hand and carefully peeled off Barry’s cowl. He let his finger caress along his cheek, causing Barry to shudder. “When all this is done, and when we have the stone, and I’m back to normal again, I’ll call you. I promise.”

Barry smiled sadly. “Please don’t make promises you can’t keep, Len.”

“But I will keep this one.” He ran his fingers along Barry’s jaw, his thumb ghosting over his bottom lip before he pulled away. “I already have a plan for tonight. The heist will go down at exactly 10.07 pm, that’s when the guards shift and the cameras are being switched to night vision. We’ll be done in less than fifteen minutes. And then I’ll call you.”

Barry nodded. He wanted to believe, oh, he wanted to believe so bad Len would call. He nodded. “Okay,” he said.

“Okay.” Len gave him one last smile, his real smile – sweet and tender and only for him – before he turned around and left S.T.A.R. Labs.

At night, after his patrols, when he was at home, he waited for Len’s call. 10.07 pm passed, as well did half past ten. Then eleven o’clock. Somewhere around midnight, Barry finally fell asleep. Only that Len hadn’t called yet. When he woke up in the morning, his phone showed him no missed call. Eight hours must’ve passed since the heist, and Barry was certain the heist had gone down marvelous.

Len must’ve had touched the stone already, and everything he had felt – he had thought he felt for him, Barry corrected himself – was gone. None of this had been real, none of the feelings Len had claimed to have for him. All this had been a farce from the beginning. Of course it had been.

Barry felt a wetness on his cheek. He had known it would end like this. But he had believed it could have been different anyway.

Len didn’t return, and he didn’t call. He didn’t text the next day, and neither did he the day after.

And that was all Barry needed to know. Len didn’t want him. And he was alone now, sitting on his bed with his knees drawn up to his chest, crying into his favorite pillow. Because once again his heart had been broken, broken by a person he’d never considered would be able to.

 

***

 

“Just fucking call him, Lenny.”

“You don’t get it, Lisa. I can’t call him.”

“Yeah? And why is that, exactly?”

Len sighed heavily.

“You have no reason to not call him, have you?”

“No, I do have my reasons.”

“Yeah?” She raised a perfectly curved eyebrow at him. “And what reason would that be? Because, if I recall correctly, you promised him you’d call as soon as the heist was over. And don’t even try to tell me those feelings you’ve harbored for him while under the influence have vanished. Because they haven’t.”

Len sighed again and took out a beer of the fridge. Slowly, he opened the cap and sipped from the bottle. Impatiently, Lisa tapped onto the counter with her fingernails. “I can’t call him because I know where this would lead.”

“A proper and healthy relationship, for once.”

“Exactly.”

Now it was Lisa’s turn to sigh. She let her arms fall from their stiff posture across her chest and stepped forward into Len’s space, taking the bottle of beer out of his hands. “So what’s so bad about this? You’re still in love with him. And he’s returning your feelings. He kissed you, and the only reason he broke the kiss was because you were under some spell. Not because you’re a criminal, not because of your age, or your past, or because the two of you are on the other ends of the law. And then the way he looked at you before we took off to get the Obsidian Void … that are some deep feelings the boy has for you, Lenny. Real feelings. So what’s the deal?”

“He might not see the problems that would come with all this, but that doesn’t mean they’re not there. I’m too old for him. Too crooked. He’d get into trouble with his day job, not to mention his father would never approve of me. And even if the odds were in our favor for the relationship and we could somehow keep it secret … I’m still not good for him. He deserves better that someone like me.”

“That’s bullshit!” she yelled and threw her arms into the air. “Lenny, that guy is in love with you. The real you. He knows what and who you are, and he chose you despite all that! And I believe it’s entirely his own choice to decide if you’re too old or too crooked for him, or if he’s willing to take a risk.” She stepped forward again and placed a hand gently on his shoulder. “And Lenny. You’re not a bad person. We all are not. We are good people who do bad things – occasionally. But The Flash has already made you even better than you were before. So don’t you ever think you’re not worthy of someone – because you are. You’re worth doesn’t depend on another person, so don’t let it be dependent by anyone, ever.”

“But–”

Lisa interrupted him. “No but. Call him. Or text him, whatever. Show him you still feel the same. And it will pay off, I promise.” She rubbed him across his back before she took a step back again.

“Alright, fine.” He pulled his phone out and scrolled through his contacts until he found what he was looking for.

 

***

 

 **From Snowflake** [20:21]: _Come to the Swan Lake Park, to the park bench by the willow._  
**From Snowflake** [20:30]: _Please._  
**From Snowflake** [20:33]: _…. I need to see you._

“Barry, if it’s important Flash business, then just go. Don’t worry about me, I can finish this alone.”

Barry sighed and put his phone into his pocket. “It isn’t Flash-related, Iris. It’s … it’s nothing. It can wait, I’m sure.” He took another wet plate and continued to dry it while Iris cleaned up the rest of the dirty dishes from their family dinner.

She gave him a scrutinizing look before her expression turned into something more sympathetic. “So this is about this mystery girl you’re seeing.”

“It’s not a girl. And apparently, we’re not seeing each other, anymore.”

“Oh gosh, Barry, what happened? A few days ago, you guys were fine, apparently.”

Barry sighed and put down the washcloth. “It’s nothing. I knew it would happen. His feelings weren’t real. Which I knew before, but I still hoped.”

“Okay, now you gotta tell me everything from the start because I’m positively confused.” She, too, put down the wet plate she had been holding and turned completely towards Barry, her expression equally curious and calculating.

He ran his hand through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck. “He was … put under a spell. Do you know anything about the Love Diamond?”

She nodded.

“Okay, so, he touched it. And apparently, I’m his true love. He came to us – Cisco, Caitlin, and me – for help to get this fixed. But it took us a while until we found anything to counter the spell, and in the meantime, he and I started hanging out. And … I don’t know how it happened, but somehow, I developed feelings. Although I knew he was only feeling this way because of a damn gemstone and some damn spell.”

Her expression had shifted to understanding, with that pitying look in his eyes that Barry equally loved and hated. “And what happened then?”

“We found a cure – another stone to counteract the spell which he had to touch, too. Before, though, he had promised he’d call. That his feelings wouldn’t change, despite everything. I knew they would, and I knew he wouldn’t call, because why should he? He is free now, free of something he doesn’t want to feel. And anyway, we wouldn’t have worked out anyway. God, imagine introducing him to Joe as my boyfriend – he’d killed both of us immediately.” Barry choked out a laugh. It wasn’t funny, but he couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at the irony of all this. He hadn’t been the one affected, and still, now he was the one with the deep feelings that wouldn’t go away, as if _he_ was put under the spell, and not Len.

Iris took two steps forward and pulled Barry into his arms. He leaned into the embrace, trying to seek comfort. “So he texted you now?”

Barry nodded against her shoulder.

Iris pulled away. “Show me.”

He showed her his phone.

“You should go. This doesn’t sound like it’s over for him.”

“But, Iris, if it is … What if all he wants to do is tell me how he doesn’t feel? I’m not sure if I can do that, hear him say that. I don’t even know if I simply can go back to the way things have between us before.”

“Then you at least know for sure and are not hanging in limbo, constantly wondering. Meet him, and you’ll find out. Besides, it still could be a good thing.”

Barry’s chest ached with hope, hope he knew he shouldn’t have. Because why should Len, Captain Cold, still return his feelings after the spell?

But Iris was right. Of course she was. She always was.

“Go get dressed, and then just meet him.” She gave him a last sympathetic smile, accompanied by a squeeze of his shoulder before she turned towards the dirty dishes again.

Barry sighed. “Okay.”

“I’ll wait here with ice cream for you, just in case.”

“Thanks, Iris. You’re the best.”

“I know. But oh, when things turn out good, I want to meet him. I have some idea who it might be … and if I’m right, he so deserves a shovel talk.”

Barry laughed again, betraying the horror about her knowing the truth about who he had feelings for. Not that he had given her any real information, but still. She was an investigative reporter, after all. At least Barry was sure she wouldn’t tell Joe.

“Don’t worry,” she said and flashed him another smile, “if he makes you that happy, then I approve. No matter how old, or what his … profession is, I don’t care. As long as he makes you happy and doesn’t pull any shit.”

“Thank you again, Iris.”

She nodded. “Now go, for God’s sake, don’t let him wait too long.”

Barry huffed out another laugh before he flashed upstairs. Maybe she was right. Maybe this was a good thing.

 **To Snowflake** [20:43]: _I’ll be there in 5._

 

***

 

Len sat anxiously on the bench right in front of the lake, his eyes wide open for any lightning streak or Barry simply walking towards him. He glanced at his watch, checking the time for the tenth time. It was eleven minutes to nine now. Barry was one minute late already, and Len tried not to see this as a sign that the speedster wouldn’t show up. He was usually late, so nothing was out of the ordinary. But still.

Not even a minute later, Barry was striding across the wide park area towards him. In an instant, Len could feel the nervousness creep in, more than before. In his head, he had already prepared what he wanted to say, but now, as he saw Barry coming closer to him, he wasn’t so sure if those words were the right ones. Everything depended on what he would say now, on the outcome of this conversation. His possible future with Barry depended on it.

Barry was wearing a moss green sweater with skinny, black jeans underneath and a gray bomber jacket above. He looked stunning.

His lips formed a smile as soon as he stood in front of Len, and immediately, he felt some of the nervousness dissipate. “You always have to wear glasses or is this just for masking your identity?”

Len smirked up at him. “Little bit of both.” He did, in fact, have to wear glasses, since his eyesight had gotten worse with age. Only they were usually impractical and he preferred to wear contacts, tonight he couldn’t be bothered. And they were in a public place, after all, a place a lot of Central’s citizens liked to frequent, especially on a warm spring night like this. The lights around the lake gave off a romantic atmosphere, the air smelled like the blooming jasmine. Masking his identity in places like this was a must, and with the glasses, people tended to overlook him, especially when it was as dark outside as now.

“Wanna take a walk?” Len asked, getting up from the bench and stepping next to Barry.

“Um, sure.”

They fell into an easy step, walking rather slowly along the lakefront.

Len knew he had to start the talking. All he had to do was tell Barry how he felt, ask him if he felt the same – and if he did, what that would mean for their future. Simple. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t told him before how deeply he felt. “I did some thinking,” he started slowly, drawing the words out.

Barry laughed, and it warmed Len’s insides as if he was still under the love spell and as if Barry’s laugh was the most beautiful sound in the world. Which it still was, if he was being honest. “Yeah, I figured that much. Me too, by the way.”

Len nodded. “I’m … sorry I didn’t call sooner. I know I broke that promise.”

“Yeah, you did, but it’s okay. I was pretty sure you’d go radio-silent, anyway.”

“I did promise I’d call, though. But … while I’ve broken that promise, I haven’t broken the other one I have given you.” He stopped, Barry standing next to him. There was merely a few feet space between them, enough to not feel the other’s body heat radiating off him, but still a little too close to not go insane. But Len didn’t move. “I did touch the Obsidian Void. And I’ve come to realize that my feelings – my feelings for you haven’t changed. The only thing that’s changed is that they’re clearer now. Not in a haze, or induced. But real.”

“They … haven’t? Changed?” Barry asked him with his eyes wide, disbelieving.

“Not a bit. I …” he paused. While it had sounded so natural to say those words in his head, they suddenly seemed inappropriate. But Len had to say it. Had to repeat it, had to show Barry what he felt. He had to if he wanted to make a possible future with this remarkable man real.

But if Barry didn’t feel the same … he would make himself more vulnerable than ever before towards his nemesis, would show him more weaknesses than any other person. But it was worth the risk. Barry was worth the risk. Besides, a hero like him probably wouldn’t exploit anything Len told him – Barry was too good, too righteous for that.

“I still love you, Barry. I still want to be with you, every second of the day. I still want to hold you, want to kiss you.” He paused, fixing his gaze, staring into those beautiful hazel eyes. “Lisa was right, the diamond did show what already was there, only hidden deep inside myself. But it doesn’t matter now, not if this detour showed the truth.”

“I–” he started, fidgeting with the hem of his sweater before he ran his fingers through his hair. “Are you serious? I mean, with what you just said. Are those … real feelings?”

“They are, Barry. It does feel different than while I was under the influence of the diamond. It feels realer, like I said. It feels _right_ , for once.”

Barry didn’t say anything for a while now, just looked at him.

“So … what does this mean for us? For the future?”

“What are you feeling, Barry? For me?”

He paused and looked at Len uncertainly. “I don’t know.” And Len’s heart dropped.

“I …” Barry sighed and his expression shifted to determined. “I can’t say those three words back. Not yet. But I do know that I care deeply about you, more than my past-me, or Joe, or probably anyone else, would ever be comfortable with or approve of. I care, and … all I want to do right now is kiss you. Before you went to steal the Obsidian Void, I told myself I shouldn’t hope that you’d call, because I knew you wouldn’t. But I did hope, anyway.

“The last three days were … difficult. Iris noticed, obviously, but even without her … I knew it was because of you. It was because I felt as if I missed a chance, missed my chance. My chance to be with you, my chance to build something with you. Because I care about you so, so, _so_ much, and I know I would hate it to see you with someone else. I want you, Len. Even though I can’t say those words yet. But someday, I will.”

And all at once, Len felt as if the weight of the world was lifted from his shoulder and he felt as light as he had never before. “Does this mean I get to keep you and be with you?”

“You mean being with me as in being my boyfriend?”

Len chuckled. “I don’t particularly care about labels. As long as I know we want the same from it and what we have is real – that’s all that matters, nothing else.”

“We could start with dating first, though,” Barry said, and finally, finally his lips shifted to this amazing smile, this adorably goofy smile Len loved so much.

“I believe we did go out for dinner and movie once or twice,” Len teased.

Barry laughed. “True,” he said, and now utter happiness was shining in his eyes. “So, we’ll try this? A future, start something together?”

“It sure won’t be easy, Scarlet. But I do want this, more than anything. Even more than this beautiful new painting that only recently has taken up residence in the art gallery two streets over the CCPD …” He smirked at Barry with no edge in his expression.

Barry laughed again. “Then we’ll try. We can make it work.”

“That’s all I want, Scarlet.”

They both smiled at each other, honestly and openly, and Len wondered again how on earth he could have deserved this amazing man. Truth was, he didn’t deserve him, but right now, he didn’t care. He was a thief, after all, and he took the things he liked. “Can I kiss you now, please?”

As soon as those words had left Len’s mouth, Barry dived forward and crushed their mouths together, instantly pulling Len as close as humanly possible.

This kiss was ten times better than the one they had shared a week ago in his apartment when he had still been under the influence of the spell and unable to control himself. This one spoke of all the emotions and feelings between them, all the unspoken words, all the tension, both romantic and sexual, that finally was released.

This was possibly the best kiss Len had ever shared with anyone. And most likely the most important one.

Carefully, he pulled away and cupped Barry’s face in his hands. He stared deep into those hazel eyes, that looked at him with such wonder and awe and adoration, Len couldn’t hold it back any longer. “I love you, Barry Allen. With the depth of my heart.”

“Len,” Barry whispered, breathless, and his eyes started to shimmer. He leaned forward and kissed him again, putting all his feelings in it Len knew Barry was feeling the same way, even though he might not be able to say it quite yet.

And while they kept kissing, Len felt overwhelmed with the realization that he could do that so easily now, without the feeling of something forcing either of them. They both wanted this. This was good. He moved his hands down from Barry’s cheeks onto the small of his back while the other man instantly wrapped his arms tight around Len’s shoulders. None of them pulled away. Right now, only the two of them existed, and everything else was unimportant.

And for what’s worth, Len had no intention of changing that ever again. He finally could hold this man in his arms, based on his own will, and the other let him. He wanted to do nothing more than to keep this man forever, still. That part hadn’t changed at all after the spell broke. Barry was his true love. And apparently, Barry loved him, too. And now, Len would never let him go again.

 

*** THE END ***

 

**Author's Note:**

> The story behind the Love Diamond is entirely a product of my own imagination. I don’t know if such things even exist (certain artifacts that are said that they once belonged to a God, apart from Mjolnir). (Would be if funny if they did exist, though.)  
> This was written for ColdFlash Week 2017 A Day 7: Under The Influence. I hope y’all liked this small fic and what I did with the prompt for today! And if you want, come say hi on [tumblr](http://www.itsbrookeks.tumblr.com)! ♥


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